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Saturday, July 26, 2014

The
world has watched with increasing dismay and horror as the remaining
Iraqi Christian minorities have been forced out of their homes, most
recently in Mosul and the surrounding area, in the latest wave of
persecution and destruction rained down by the Islamic State formerly
known as "ISIS". Houses have been looted and robbed. Graves
and shrines have been demolished. Crosses smashed and removed from
churches.

Elie
Essa Kas Hanna, DHI analyst on Human Dignity and Religious Freedom,
said: "Iraqi
Christians are the original residents of Mesopotamia - descendants of
the ancient Babylonians, Chaldeans, Assyrians and a large number of
Arabs tribes: Mudar, Rabia and Tay etc. Christianity has been present
in Iraq since the First Century AD, when most of the population of
Mesopotamia converted to Christianity, though leaving others to
continue in their traditional beliefs in Judaism, Manichaeism and
Parsee. Today, 2,000 years later, the descendants of these original
Christians are being driven out as though guests in a home whose
welcome they have overstayed - ironically by a religion that didn't
even appear on the scene for another five centuries."

DHI
Chairman Luca Volontè added: "The
whole situation is clearly out of all control. There is tension
between the government and the opposition forces, as well as the
tension that still exists between the central government and the
Kurdistan Regional Government. It is in this space of uncertainty and
mistrust that the Islamic State has moved deftly to occupy a large
part of Iraqi territory that is now almost two-thirds the size of the
Great Britain."

Lord
Alton of Liverpool, who launched the DHI-affiliated Cross-Party
Working Group on Human Dignity in the Palace of Westminster, and one
of the British Parliament's most respected authorities on religious
persecution around the world, said: "In
2003, the Christian presence in Iraq was 1.5 million. After the end
of the Second Gulf War, the Christian presence was reduced to 400,000
people - and most of these lived in the north. Now a staggering 90%
of those Christians who remained have now fled from Mosul to
surrounding areas, especially onto the plains of the Biblical city of
Nineveh, on the border of the Kurdistan region."

Lord
Alton illustrated the current situation with a recent example: "The
DHI notes with alarm the destruction of the Biblical Tomb of Jonah -
which dates from the 8th Century BC - smashed by sledgehammer blows
which have echoed around the world. We can only hope that last week's
rumour of the similar destruction of the tomb of the Prophet Daniel
turns out to be false."

Indicating
the difficulty regarding the authentication of reports that are
emerging from the Islamic State, Lord Alton added: "Also
unverified, the UN and the BBC have reported that ISIS forces in
Mosul have ordered all girls and women to undergo female genital
mutilation. This is an outrage. More than 130 million girls and women
have already been subjected to this barbaric practice worldwide - and
it has to stop. In the Islamic State today we see a historically
recurring meme sadly replaying itself: an orgy of destruction of
culture and heritage sooner or later leads to attacks on human
beings, their freedom and dignity."

Volontè
concluded: "The
DHI believes that Iraqi Christians are a vital part of Iraqi society,
and that they have an irreplaceable role to play in rebuilding
together - with other citizens of goodwill - a future for their
country. The DHI appeals to the international community to do
everything possible to come to the aid of the few Christians left in
Iraq. We add our prayers to those of His Holiness Pope Francis, who
follows the suffering of Christians in Iraq with great closeness."

The
Dignitatis
Humanae Instituteaims
to uphold human dignity based on the anthropological truth that man
is born in the image and likeness of God and therefore has an innate
human dignity of infinite worth to be upheld. The Institute promotes
this understanding by supporting Christians in public life, assisting
them to present effective and coherent responses to increasing
efforts to silence the Christian voice in the public square.

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Pope Francis’ prayer intentions for November 2016

The Holy Father’s universal prayer intention for November 2016 is: “That the countries which take in a great number of displaced persons and refugees may find support for their efforts which show solidarity”.

His intention for evangelisation is: “That within parishes, priests and lay people may collaborate in service to the community without giving in to the temptation of discouragement”.